2019 Jeep Cherokee Reliability Report

Cars stall in traffic, including while accelerating through turns, and lose power steering when the engine quits. Heavy oil use comes up, with owners adding 2 to 3 quarts between changes. Rough idle and stalling can turn into compression loss and a full engine replacement once the warranty runs out. Some engines lose power at freeway speed with a flashing check engine light. The 5 fire reports often start at the front passenger side, sometimes after a "4WD overheated" message, and several cars burn completely.

Power steering quits or the wheel locks up without warning, at parking-lot speeds and at 70 mph alike. Owners report spinning out on ramps and hitting curbs, signs, and trees, with 8 crash reports and 4 injuries. Dealers often fix it by replacing the steering rack, in cars ranging from under 15,000 to 62,000 miles. Steering also gets heavy when a failed power transfer unit locks the car in all-wheel drive. Other cars lose steering along with brakes during a full power loss or a stall.

Stopping takes longer than expected, or the car creeps forward with the pedal pressed, and owners describe rear-end and side collisions across 5 crash reports. Front rotors warp early, causing a pulsing pedal and vibration. A leaking brake booster shows up as a stiff pedal with no dashboard warning. The electronic parking brake can engage on its own while idling at a light. Several owners say a dealer repair is stalled because the part is on back order. Metal-on-metal noise and a broken caliper also appear.

Front and side bags stay folded in serious crashes, including head-on hits, T-bone impacts, pole strikes, and deer collisions, many in cars later totaled. This small category carries 21 crash reports and 31 injuries, from bruises to a skull fracture and concussion. Most drivers report no warning light beforehand. A few reports describe the opposite problem: a steering wheel bag that barely inflated and burned the driver, and a knee bag injury in a frontal crash.

The car speeds up on its own, from a stop or while backing out, and pumping the brakes does not stop it. There are 3 crash reports, one with an injury. Other cars lose throttle and drop into limp mode, refuse to go faster than a crawl with the check engine light on, or slip into neutral and flash "shift to park." Stalling in turns, a failing starter, and a fuel filler that pushes the nozzle out or spits fuel back also appear.

Most of these reports are really drivetrain problems: a roar from the all-wheel-drive system, a "Service 4WD" message, grinding underneath, and a car that stops driving at 40 mph because of a failed power transfer unit. Some owners waited on repairs because the parts were not available. Cracked rear differentials appear here too, with no accident to explain them. Other reports describe ABS and stability control warnings coming on right before a loss of control. The category is small, with 17 complaints.

Front belts stop retracting and then catch in the door or become nearly unusable. Often one side fails and the other follows months later, at roughly 40,000 to 53,000 miles. Other belts fail to latch reliably or fail to lock, and rear buckles may not click in at all. Frayed shoulder straps that jam the retractor also turn up. Most repairs fall outside warranty, and owners report partial goodwill help at best, with one estimate of $2000 to replace all 5 retractors.